Man accused in Whistler sled dog slaughter expected to plead guilty

Bethany Lindsay, Vancouver Sun08.17.2012

Robert Fawcett, former general manager of Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc., is seen operating the flags at the local stock car race South of Pemberton on May 12, 2012. Fawcett was charged under the Criminal Code Of Canada for an incident involving sled dogs in 2010 and is expected to plead guilty.Matt Murray
/ CP/The Whistler News

Collars of dogs unearthed from a mass grave near Whistler hand on a line.Special to the Vancouver Sun
/ ...

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The man accused of slaughtering dozens of healthy sled dogs and then dumping their carcasses into a mass grave near Whistler, B.C. is expected to plead guilty, according to court documents.

Robert Fawcett is scheduled to enter the plea at his next appearance in North Vancouver provincial court on Aug. 30, B.C.’s online court registry says. Fawcett, the former manager of Howling Dog Tours, is charged with one count of causing unnecessary pain and suffering in relation to the deaths of 56 dogs unearthed by the SPCA .

Gruesome details of the mass slaying made headlines around the world in January 2011, when a successful WorkSafe BC claim for post-traumatic stress disorder was leaked to the public. In the documents, Fawcett described how he shot the panicked animals in the head or slit their throats with a knife over a period of days.

Fawcett claimed he was following orders from Whistler dog sled tour operator Outdoor Adventures to do a cull of the animals during a lull in business after the 2010 Winter Olympics, but the company denied those allegations and has since donated all its assets to a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to protecting the welfare of sled dogs.

The animal cruelty case was originally set to be heard in Pemberton, but security concerns after a number of threats against Fawcett prompted the Crown to ask for relocation to the North Shore.

Fawcett has yet to officially enter a plea and no conviction has been entered in the case. He could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

In less than a week, Abbotsford recording artists Hedley went from touring Canada with two supporting acts and a popular new album to pariahs ensnared in allegations of sexual misconduct. On Monday, accusations that band members Jacob Hoggard, Dave Rosin, Tommy Mac and Jay Benison had engaged in sexual behaviour with teenage girls surfaced on Twitter […]

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